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James Randall, Mr. NBS, crowned Mr. Millersville 2014

Spongebob Squarepants, Beyonce and Lydia the Tattooed Lady were all competing for the crown at this year’s Mr. Millersville contest on April 8 in the SMC MPR. The event was a friendly contest sponsored by Millersville University’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter and pitted six male contestants from different campus organizations against each other in categories of beachwear, talent, and a question and answer session.

“This is our organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Gina Masciantonio, president of Millersville’s PRSSA chapter. “Not only does it help our members with event planning, but it also benefits the organizations involved.

Shaquille Glover of SOLA, a junior speech communications major, performed a dance routine in drag to a medley of songs by Beyonce.

This year’s Mr. Millersville contestants, who represented different organizations on campus, included: Shaquille Glover of the Society of Latino Affairs (SOLA), James Randall of the National Broadcasting Society (NBS), Mark Yang of the campus television station MUTV, Phillip Casey of the campus radio station WIXQ, Connor Whitman of the fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, and Michael Pellitta of Campus Recreation. The judges panel consisted of Dr. Thomas Boyle, Chair of the Communication and Theatre department; Imani Thomas, who was crowned Miss Millersville earlier this year; and Ricardo Bens Matos, last year’s Mr. Millersville winner. The hosts for the events were PRSSA members Jen Schwartz and Candace Kearse.

The contest kicked off with beachwear, though some of the contestants took a more original approach to beachwear. Mr. SOLA, Shaquille Glover, came out sporting a boat captain’s uniform and carrying a boogie board. Mr. WIXQ, Phillip Casey, came out dressed like Spongebob Squarepants and reenacted the episode where Spongebob rips his pants. Michael Pellitta of Campus Recreation dressed up like a lifeguard.

After beachwear, PRSSA member Yarrow Stern presented two dancers from her dance class, who did a ballet dance routine to “I See the Light” from the movie “Tangled”.

The next portion of the competition was talent, where the contestants’ talents ranged from dancing to comedy. Mr. MUTV, Mark Yang, kicked off the talent portion with an acoustic guitar performance of Joseph Vincent’s “Bumblebee” that had people in the audience clapping along. Phillip Casey did a humorous performance of “Lydia the Tattooed Lady”, while Mr. Tau Kappa Epsilon Connor Whitman displayed his comedy chops. James Randall of NBS performed a rowdy hip hop dance with the Essence dance team and Michael Pellitta showed off his dance skills with the ladies of Campus Recreation. Last but not least, Shaquille Glover of SOLA came out dressed as Beyonce, high heels and all, and strut his stuff to a mashup of Beyonce’s songs with the Essence dance team.

James Randall, winner of the pageant, with Phillip Casey, Mr. WIXQ, the People’s Choice winner.

For intermission, last year’s winner Ricardo Brens Matos took the stage with his escort from last year for a fiery salsa routine. Then, the last portion of the contest, question and answer, commenced. The contestants came out in their best formal wear with their female escorts and were each asked a question. Some of the questions ranged from “What makes your organization unique?” to “What has your organization done to improve the campus community?”

After a few minutes of deliberation, the judges were prepared to announce the results for the 2014 Mr. Millersville competition. Mr. WIXQ, Phillip Casey, was named People’s Choice, a title that was voted by the audience. Runner-up for the title was Shaquille Glover of SOLA. James Randall of NBS was crowned Mr. Millersville.

With a smile on his face, Randall thanked his organization, the audience, his escort, and said, “Thank God for giving me the rhythm of dance.”

The money that was awarded to the winners was deposited into the respective organizations’ accounts with separate donations benefiting all organizations involved. Randall will reign as Mr. Millersville until next year’s contest. Additionally, PRSSA raised over $500 for their organization, making Mr. Millersville their biggest fundraiser.

“We love how enthusiastic the contestants were,” said Masciantonio. “Without them, we wouldn’t even have a show, so we appreciate that they were willing to perform and support their organizations.”